


Sink or Swim

by ThatKanraGirl



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Established Relationship, Loqi can't swim, M/M, Niflheim brat, Secret Relationship, mentions of Loqi's parents, passing mentions of Ravus and Verstael
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 02:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16610246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatKanraGirl/pseuds/ThatKanraGirl
Summary: Being in the midst of war didn't often afford high ranking officers of the Niflheim regime time off, so when the occasion arose, Loqi seized the chance to see a new side of Lucis, and maybe catch a glimpse of a new side of Cor, too.





	Sink or Swim

**Author's Note:**

> So, I wrote this for the Final Fantasy Rare Pair Charity Zine a few months ago, and I think it's time to share it with the rest of the world! I had a ton of fun writing it, and I hope you all enjoy it, too! Cor/Loqi is terribly underrated.

Time off wasn’t always afforded to high-ranking military officers, especially not when they were in the midst of war. There was planning to be done, maneuvers to practice, adjustments to be done to his mechs, but that would all wait for a later date. As he was told by the high commander, he was starting to look tired from overwork, and he was to take a mandatory leave, effective at the end of the week. Loqi could have argued, but the weight of this war and his efforts to ensure Niflhiem’s victory were beginning to wear on him. No measure was too great to pull his own in this war. He had has family’s name to consider, after all. 

There was the matter of deciding how to spend his impromptu vacation, however. He could simply go home and spend his days enjoying his mother’s cooking – something else that he didn’t get to indulge in nearly as much as he would like to because of this war. Staying there, though, meant that he would have to hear his father ramble about his days serving the Empire before his accident rendered him incapable of his duties as an officer. Sure, he loved a good war story now and then, but Loqi’s father had a penchant for repeating the same ones that he had heard since he was a child. He could only listen to how he assisted Chief Besithia take down the Astral Shiva and how great a victory it was so many times. Then there was the constant grilling of tactics and plans that he always wanted to discuss…

Yes, his mother’s cooking would have to wait for some other time. Instead, he had a much more pleasant idea. 

-

Without cracking an eye open, Loqi’s hand fumbled along the other side of the bed, and a pout pulled at his lips when he felt the sheets had already cooled. Of course The Immortal would be up at the crack of dawn on vacation. Groaning, he rolled over in the bed, which was significantly less comfortable now that he knew there wasn’t the weight of the other man beside him. Peeking from underneath the sheet, he was met with the glow of morning reflecting off of Galdin’s crystal waves. He lie quietly for a time, watching the water ebb and flow with the tide. To Loqi, it was magical as much as it was scientific, how gravity created the flow of currents and tides, but it was marvelous all the same. 

The slow creak of the door to their room reached his ears, followed by the smell of coffee, then the dip of the bed beside him. A strong, large hand brushed the hair from his face and trailed down his cheek. Loqi couldn’t help but lean into it. Curse his touch-starved self. 

“Is that for me?” he asked into Cor’s palm, skipping the morning pleasantries altogether. 

“Nope,” Cor smirked and tipped the mug of coffee towards him before taking a long sip from the plain white mug. Asshole. “Yours is on the table if you want it.” 

Loqi huffed, indignant as he sank further into the pillows and narrowed his eyes at him. He did this on purpose, and Loqi supposed he should give him more credit than he normally did. Cor’s ears were deaf to begging, even in the more – ahem – intimate of situations, so pleading with him to just hand him the damn mug was useless. However, if he got up an got it himself, Loqi would have to crawl over him to get to the coffee, which would not only leave himself wide open for the Marshal’s viewing pleasure, but it would force him out of bed, and that was the last thing he wanted to be. He was rather enjoying the waves crashing on the shore and staring at them from afar. 

“Let’s get moving,” Cor drawled as he stood, stretching his arms over his head. “The beach is a lot nicer up close.” Yawning, Loqi curled his legs under him and sat up, allowing the sheets to pool around his waist to expose pale, soft skin. There were some small scars on his arms and chest. Such was the price to pay as a war mechanic, but it offered Cor a view that would become commonplace over the duration of their getaway. As Loqi rubbed the sleep from his eyes, Cor grabbed the coffee from the table and handed it to him. Of course, Loqi wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a proper ‘thank you,’ but he figured a gracious smile around the rim of the mug would suffice. 

-

The beach was more or less foreign to Loqi. The only shorelines in Niflhiem were frozen over and caked with snow and ice. Topless? Forget it. If you wanted to get close to any water, you needed six layers of clothes and spiked boots just to traverse the shore. Loqi recalled a particular time he had gone on a research expedition with his father to the Chorovas Rift, and they had gotten so lost that they ended up on the shore of the Sathersea. He shivered just thinking about the chill that had settled in his young bones and nearly froze him to death. 

Galdin Quey was different. 

Donned in plaid short and an oversized tank top, Loqi shielded his eyes from the late morning sun as he stepped from the hotel room. Already, there was quite a crowd, though he knew most of them were only there to get their hands on the cuisine. True, it wasn’t as good as the food at Maagho in Altissia, but it came damn near close. Still, there were the few that were there the peace and quiet Galdin had to offer. 

As he fell into step beside Cor, Loqi brushed his knuckles along the back of his hand. The gesture was simple enough, but between them, it spoke volumes. Oh, he knew the dangers of being seen in public with the enemy. Not a day went by that he didn’t think of the consequences of having fallen for a military man for the opposing side of the war. Quite often, he would remind himself that at any moment they could be facing one another in the heat of battle, and they would have to pretend that taking the other’s life would mean nothing to them. It was a hard pill to swallow, but just as subtly as he had grazed their hands together, Cor entwined their fingers – another silent gesture, but it made Loqi’s heart skip a beat, even if he wouldn’t admit that he squeezed his hand just a little to keep him close. 

He would be thankful for the potential sunburn on his cheeks that covered the blush. 

Off a little ways, people played in the water, disturbing the natural peace, but also enveloping themselves in its natural benefits. Not that Loqi believed any of them were taking a dip in the sea for health reasons, but the fact remained that there was an abundance of swimming, splashing, and his all-time favorite, screaming. Nothing drove him insane faster than the sound of a child shrieking for no apparent reason other than to hear themselves, except for Cor and his love of WATCHING them. Loqi had hoped beyond hope that they would simply stroll by them and not pay them any mind, but no, that had been too much to ask for. They idled at the end of the pier, beneath a large umbrella that casted as much shade as Loqi was with his eyes. 

“Look at them,” Cor said after a long moment of staring out at a group of children near the shoreline. 

“I see them.” Brushing his hair from his bangs, Loqi rolled his eyes and leaned on the railing in front of them. “They’re children. Loud children. Can we move on?” 

“If the Empire continues their research and plans to control the Crown City, they might not ever get to smile like they are now, again.” 

A long, irritated groan escaped Loqi’s lips.

“I thought we agreed upon hanging up our political difference for the duration of our stay,” he chided, then turned his head to look at the older man. Cor looked distant, as though he were here, but his thoughts – maybe his memories – weren’t. Loqi admitted that he knew only a minimal amount of Cor’s past despite his curiosity. He’d ask, and Cor would always give him the same answers. “And bore you to death with the details?” “Don’t you have anything better to do than listen to me ramble?” or simply, “Not tonight.” His gaze flicked between Cor and the children, and Loqi wondered if they were seeing the same thing. He was willing to bet not. 

“Hey.” Standing upright, Loqi turned to face him fully. “We’re on vacation,” he teased quietly, and he gently swung their joined hands to and fro. “So…lighten up a little.” Loqi shifted from one leg to the other, suddenly uncomfortable with this weird vulnerability that only happened when he was alone with the Lucian. 

Slowly, Cor shifted his gaze to him, and it was then that Loqi realized how grave of a mistake that was. 

“Come on,” he muttered, taking advantage of the fact that their hands were still locked together to drag Loqi off of the pier and into the sand.

“What are you – ? Unhand me, damn it!” Loqi demanded. Even as Loqi struggled and tried to pull him back, Cor persisted. The closer they got to the water, the more Loqi panicked, and the more he fussed. He wasn’t afraid of open water, really. If anything, he was curious what was under there. Sure, he had a particular knack for machines, but marine biology was a fascinating science. Of course, he couldn’t speak from experience. That’s just what he had read in books and essays. No, water didn’t scare him. 

As the water splashed his feet, he screeched. 

“Cor, stop!” Then, and only then, did Cor turn to look at him, as did everyone else who heard the rather unmanly yelp. Shamefaced, Loqi turned his head away. Maybe this vacation was stupid. He didn’t know what he had hoped to gain from it, or what he expected, but the more heat continued to rise in his cheeks, the more it didn’t matter. 

“What’s wrong?” Cor’s asked, but he couldn’t hear him. The steadfast thump of his heart racing in his chest and blood rushing through his veins and pounded in his ears. Finally, Loqi jerked his hand hard enough for Cor to let go – or did Cor let him go on purpose? Either way, he was free of him, but he couldn’t move. His legs felt like lead, and the longer he stood still in the soft sand, the further he sank. 

“Loqi?” Cor tried again and took a careful step towards him. He wasn’t the only one. Suddenly there were others, asking him, asking Cor, if everything was all right. Overwhelmed, Loqi forced himself to move – away from the questions and prying eyes, away from Cor. Everything was happening so rapidly, and he just wanted the space to process it. Cor let him leave, though not without keeping a watchful eye, he knew. That was okay. 

He just needed to breathe.  
-

Eventually, the sun began to sink into the sea. That was when Cor came for him. The crowds bearing rowdy children and nosy teenagers had slowly dwindled, leaving only the couples and lonely dwellers – hunters, fishermen, and the like. Most of them occupied the restaurant, but not them. 

Loqi let the water rush past his feet as he stood, mesmerized by the sunset. Yet another pleasantry that was only afforded to him when he set foot in foreign territory. The colors were warm, comforting. He felt like he could stare forever and get lost in the depth of its beauty. 

“You can get closer, you know,” Cor suggested softly from behind, and Loqi tipped his head. He was still a little angry, though mostly at himself for overreacting. It was just a little bit of water, after all. 

“Chasing sunsets now, Marshal?” he teased, and Cor chuckled. Loqi allowed himself to be enveloped in strong arms. 

“I need something to do when I’m not chasing you,” Cor joked back, and Loqi smirked. They were silent for a moment, taking in the atmosphere, when Cor continued. “I’m sorry for what happened earlier. I shouldn’t have dragged you out like that.” 

Shaking his head, Loqi sighed. 

“No, I should have been upfront about this from the start,” he confessed, chuckling dryly. “Truth is, I don’t know how to swim.” Loqi paused, waited for the condescending snort, laugh, something. When it didn’t come, he turned around. As he did, Cor dropped his arms from around him. 

“Now what are you doing? You’re seriously not going to try and drag me into the water again, are you? Because I swear to –“ 

Loqi’s rant came to an abrupt halt as he watched Cor shed off his t-shirt, which had him flushing for a whole new reason, but he still had no sunburn to blame it on. He bit his bottom lip and inhaled sharply. He wanted to touch. Oh, did he want to touch. Slowly, he lifted his arm, fingers twitching as he reached for Cor…only for him to step just out of reach. Now pouting, Loqi watched as he stepped past him and into the water, turning to face him. 

“You want it? Come and get it.” Cor taunted, a playful glint shining in his damnably gorgeous eyes. Huffing, Loqi crossed his arms. 

“No way! I just told you I can’t swim!” He hissed indignantly, and Cor chuckled. 

“Despite what you or others might think, I won’t let you drown, Shorty.” 

If the tips of his ears weren’t already red from drinking in the sight of Cor’s half naked body, the low-blow insult definitely set them ablaze. Without giving it another thought, Loqi tore his tank top over his head, fuming as he tossed it into the sand beside Cor’s. As Cor held out his arms – which only seemed to mock him further – Loqi stomped through the water. 

“You know what? This is all your fault in the first place!” He yelled, pushing the water aside with each stride. “Just once, I wanted to come out here on peaceful terms. I wanted to get away from war and politics and not have to follow through with orders that destroy your home! But, no!” His palms slammed onto the surface of the water as he continued his advance, but Cor remained just out of reach. 

“You had to talk about how the war affects the children and then get all distant. And then I can’t even help you or relate to you because you won’t tell me what’s going on in that stupid head of yours and instead you just take off into the water without asking me if I know how to swim!” He took another step, but the ground beneath him dropped off. Before he could stop himself, he sank, and the water’s surface rested just below his chin. Quick hands stopped him from going any further, though, and Cor lifted him easily. Gasping, Loqi hastily wrapped himself around Cor, arms and legs clinging to him for dear life, and all the while, Cor roared with laughter. 

“What kind of boyfriend are you?!” Loqi squealed, and it only made Cor laugh harder. 

“The kind that won’t let you drown, as promised,” he responded smoothly. Loqi would let it slide, for now, but it didn’t change the fact that he was still seething. 

“Look,” Cor motioned out to the open water where the sun was starting to disappear into the horizon. Again, Loqi was lost in the colors. How could something so simple bring such an immense amount of peace? He adjusted, and he gave a soft, content sigh as he felt the pads of Cor’s thumbs trace small circles in his back. 

“I was one of those children, once,” Cor explained softly. Carefree, never giving war a second thought, until it took away my family. My friends, everyone I ever cared about, gone. I was alone.”

Loqi wanted to fluster. He wanted to boast about the Empire, to tell him that they should feel worthy to have died by the hands of the glorious Niflheim. Instead, he frowned. Politics be damned, his lover was being open, for once, and he was going to be here for him. Silently, he tipped his head and kissed him. It was chaste, different from many of their past kisses that were usually rushed and left a taste just sweet enough for him to want more. This kiss was long, slow, and Loqi hoped beyond hope the it said everything that he couldn’t. 

As they parted, Cor smiled, and held him just a little tighter. 

“I’ve never told anyone that,” he confessed. “At least no one important.” As Loqi let his words sink in, he found himself running his hands through his hair, amused at how the silver hairs that were creeping in glittered in the dusk light. 

“That makes us even, then,” Loqi declared, offering him an understanding smile. 

“Even,” the marshal repeated, and leaned in, kissing Loqi again. The war was far from over, but Loqi knew without a doubt that one way or another, Cor Leonis was going to be the death of him. One day, he would make his peace with that. Today, he was going to enjoy the rest of his vacation.


End file.
